Maple Leaf Rag

"Ragtime, which emerged in the 1890s, was composed music, written down for performance on the piano. Ragtime pieces were not accompanied by lyrics and not meant to be sung. The creative genus of ragtime, Scott Joplin, was born in Texarkana, Texas, in 1868. He learned to play on piano his mother bought from her earning as a maid, and he may have been trained in classical music. …He played at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 and soon wrote ragtime sheet music that sold well. In 1899 he composed his best-known tune, the 'Maple Leaf Rag,' named after a social club (brothel) in Sedalia, Missouri. It sold an astonishing one million copies."
 From "African Americans: A Concise History" by Hine, Hine and Harold

Interesting bit of history, but what does it have to do with family history?
Well, Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag was written in 1899 and with a new style of printing that became available in 1900, the song Maple Leaf Rag was the hit song from 1900-1905. Everyone heard this song! And because of the notations on the sheet music people were hearing the song all over the country played the same way. 

Wow!

This hit jam was played in dance halls, bars, at parties- everywhere! With records becoming more and more available Maple Leaf Rag could be heard in homes from coast to coast.

That means that any of your ancestors (mine too) that were alive during 1900-1905 heard this song! It's a piece of history, and one that we can listen to and connect to. 

If you're working on a family history timeline then this song would be a great event to add to the timeline.

Check out Maple Leaf Rag here. 

Happy Hunting!